Tingo/Foster is a tri-color, 9-lb, 11-month old Chihuahua/Boston Terrier mix boy. Tingo loves to lie in his foster mom's lap. He also likes to play one-on-one with other dogs (his tiny size), but may be slow to trust new people. Once the trust is gained, he makes strong and gentle bonds. Tingo would love a forever home where his new family is home a lot, or a house with older children. Current on shots, neutered and microchipped - Tingo is ready for his forever home!

Hi My fiancÚ, Matt, and I adopted our dog from you all. We wanted to share our happy tails story about adopting from MCHS.

We adopted Minnie, a pug schnauzer mix, on December 9, 2011. Immediately, we fell in love with her. Over the past year, we have embraced her as part of our little family. She is a wonderful addition, with so much personality and love to give. We had an amazing experience adopting from MCHS and recommend that everyone goes with a shelter pup! Minnie is one happy little dog and we are so happy to have found each other through the Montgomery County Humane Society!

Krista F.

The Montgomery County Humane Society's Foster Program is responsible for hundreds of additional animals being adopted each year from the Montgomery County Animal Shelter.

We can't do it alone. MCHS depends on kind and caring people who are willing to temporarily open their hearts and homes to our homeless animals. It is only through our fosters' generosity that we are able to give a foster animal a second chance in life.

This issue of AnEmail features articles written by fosters about the rewards of opening their homes to a temporary house guest. We are also featuring an adoptable foster dog, and we introduce "foster of the month" to our Kudos section for the first time. With the new year will come new changes to make the foster program even more successful. Won't you join us?

You can give one a shelter cat another chance at the life that he or she deserves. And, a foster cat will give you love and an incredible feeling that comes from rescuing an animal in need. Win, win. Read about Swamp and her foster family.

Confessions of a dog foster

Why, my husband asks, with varying levels of perturbation depending on the situation at hand, have I brought home seven foster dogs in the last two years? Why, when we don't talk about taking the dogs for a walk but for a troop movement, would I add one more temporary family member? Here's why.

Besides these tips, stay tuned to local newscasts in the event you and your pets need to take advantage of a public shelter for people and pets. Along with the Red Cross, county Office of Emergency Management and other organizations, several MCHS staff are active with the County Animal Response Team (CART) that has activated an emergency pet shelter during severe weather conditions. The next quarterly meeting is on Wed., Jan. 9 7-9p.m. at the Public Safety Communications Center, 1300 Quince Orchard Blvd. Gaithersburg. For more information or to volunteer, email CART@montgomerycountymd.gov.

Kudos

... to our volunteer of the month:

Donna Diamante, a faithful volunteer at Wagging Tails for the several years. Donna brings a wealth of knowledge; she is able to look at a pile of art work and instinctively identify the high dollar items. She is in charge of organization, cleaning. pricing, and displaying all the art work at the thrift store.Her expertise has made a difference!

... to our foster of the month:

Jenni Weller and her family have been invaluable to the foster program, always readily available to provide care for the animals in need of some extra attention and TLC. Her foster dogs and puppies usually find their forever homes in a very short time. As a dedicated foster, Jenni continuously opens up her home for the next canine house guest!

... to our supporters in the community: Christine Vercellino, one of our cat room volunteers, for the donation of 25 Stretch 'n' Scratch posts for the shelter cat cages. The Home Depot in Gaithersburg sent 20 dog beds. This donation was arranged by Assistant Store managers Ellen and Linda. Thank you to Jim Baker and HiTek studios for photographing another year of Pet Photos with Santa! And last but not least, our shelter dog and cat volunteers who organized "Holiday for the Dogs" and the "Cat Toy and Towel Drive" again this year.

Save the date -- Paws in the Park

Did you eat too much during the holidays? Time to turn your thinking to getting more active in the spring with your pooch! The 15th annual Paws in the Park Dog Walk & Fest will be here before you know it, on Sunday, April 28, from noon-4 pm. In partnership with the City of Gaithersburg, Paws is one of our most popular community events and fundraisers, with over 1,000 participants -- human and four legged -- last year. Watch your email for information on how to register and fundraise online starting this week!

An exciting holiday surprise for the animals MCHS receives an unexpected gift of $10,000 to promote spay and neuter for cats and dogs!

Judith Levinson is a lifelong animal lover with a passion for Persians. After adopting her first Persian in 1991, Judith wanted a companion for her cat. She adopted Snow from MCHS in 1993.